RAIFORD — A man whose gift-wrapped pipe bomb, hidden in a microwave oven, unintentionally killed a Florida Highway Patrol trooper in 1992 was executed by lethal injection Wednesday night.Twenty-five witnesses watched the brown curtain in the Florida State Prison execution chamber rise at 6:15 p.m. to show a wide-eyed, active Paul Augustus Howell strapped to a gurney. None of Trooper Jimmy Fulford’s relatives attended the execution of the 48-year-old drug trafficker.Through the glass that separated him from the witnesses, Howell looked around to see who would watch him die and opened his mouth to voice a small “oh.” He also mouthed something to his lawyer, Sonya Rudenstine, who sat in the front row of the witness box.His last statement lasted about two minutes and included an apology and details of his plan to kill Tammie Bailey with the pipe bomb.Howell wanted to eliminate Bailey because she could link Howell and his brother to a prior murder, according to court documents. All three were involved in a drug ring that transported drugs from Fort Lauderdale to Marianna.Howell put the bomb in a microwave, wrapped it like a present and hired Lester Watson to drive to Bailey’s home in Marianna and give her the bomb. On his way, Watson was stopped by Trooper Jimmy Fulford for speeding and gave Fulford a false name and date of birth because he didn’t have a license.Officials contacted Howell to ask him if his rental car had been stolen, and Howell told them he had loaned the car to Watson, but that he didn’t know Watson would be traveling that far. Howell did not tell officials there was a bomb in the car when they told him Watson was being arrested and taken to the jail by Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies, records stated.As Fulford inspected the vehicle, the bomb exploded and killed him instantly. Fulford was holding the package when the bomb went off, according to the testimony of an explosives expert during Howell’s trial, records show.“First I’d like to apologize to the Fulford family for what happened back in 1992,” Howell said. “I told Lester, ‘Whatever you do, make sure a cop doesn’t get into the car. So I’m sorry about that.’”Watson was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 40 years in prison.Howell added that when he talked to Lester Watson at the Orange County jail, he asked him what happened when Fulford stopped him. According to Howell, Watson said that when he was stopped by Fulford, Fulford grabbed the gift-wrapped pipe bomb and shook it.“Lester said, ‘Oh, I thought it was going to blow up,’ because he knew what was in there,” Howell said.He apologized again and emphasized that he told Watson not to let an officer in the car.“I want to thank the Fulford family,” he said. “They were pretty compassionate, and I’ll remember that.”Howell’s last words were a mumbled prayer as the first of three drugs in Florida’s lethal injection cocktail began flowing through his veins. He glanced at his lawyer one last time before he slowly closed his eyes as the sedative took effect. His shoulder shook several times before he finally stopped moving four minutes into his execution.As the doctor shined a flashlight into Howell’s eyes to see if he was dead, Rudenstine held her head and looked down. The doctor pronounced Howell dead at 6:32 p.m. He had been on death row for 19 years.Howell’s last meal consisted of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He was offered a drink, but declined, said Florida Department of Corrections spokeswoman Jessica Cary.A personal friend and his Catholic spiritual adviser had visited Howell earlier in the day, she said.Howell is the fifth Florida prisoner executed using midazolam hydrochloride, a sedative given as the first of three drugs used in lethal injections. Howell’s lawyers unsuccessfully appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, arguing that midazolam hydrochloride would not render Howell fully unconscious during the execution.Fulford, who grew up in Madison County and worked in Jefferson County, was one of FHP’s most “hardworking and brave” troopers, said FHP spokesman Maj. Mark Welch after the execution.“Let this serve as a reminder of the danger that law enforcement officers face each and every day they put on their uniforms and leave their homes and families behind,” Welch said.